Luckily Unlucky
by something important
Summary: Okay I had a typo in my title, but I fixed it. it should make more sense. Someone new stumbles into the gang's life, but she doesn't want to stay. Something's coming for her and her special gift, and she doesn't want the help she really needs
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or anyone from the show

Chapter 1

Shippo opened his glazed blue eyes. Yawning he looked around seeing nothing but trees flying by. He stretched in the small basket he was sleeping in. Kagome smiled down at him briefly, quickly returning her gaze on where she was going. Sango and Miroku flew above them on Kilala. Inuyasha was nowhere in sight, but the young fox could sense him nearby. Probably jumping threw the trees like the caveman he was, he thought.

"Are we almost there? Are we almost back?" Shippo asked as he yawned again. He recognized the scents and sights around him; he knew they were close to Kaede's village, another day or so.

Kagome smiled and answered, "Yep, we're gonna set up camp at sunset. It won't be too long."

Shippo nodded and fell back into the comfortable position he had been in. it was sunset when he woke again. Inuyasha and Miroku had already set up camp and Kagome and Sango were nowhere in sight. They probably found a hot spring nearby, and went off to bathe.

"You shouldn't have slept all day, Shippo. I doubt you'll sleep at all tonight." Miroku said as he stoked the fire.

"I'm a growing demon, Miroku. I need my sleep, and I'll sleep fine tonight" Shippo nodded smugly.

"Lady Kagome and Lady Sango went off a while ago. They should be returning soon enough. In fact," the monk got that look in his eyes and he glanced over at Inuyasha. The half demon appeared to be sleeping. He sat cross-legged with Tetsaiga across his shoulder. "They have been gone long enough that something might have happened to them. I better go check on them."

"Sit down Monk." Inuyasha growled, opening one golden eye. "If something had happened Kagome would have been a scream or something." Miroku slumped back into his spot with a pout.

Kagome sunk into the warm water. All her tense muscles relaxed and she sighed. "Ah, this is so nice. How long has it been since we got to relax like this?"

Sango sighed as well. "A while now. We've been so busy looking for Naraku…"

"And we haven't found anything. I can't sense the Shikon Jewel and neither Miroku or Inuyasha can sense any real evil."

"He's up to something, I know it! We have to find out what that some thing is before he can act."

Kagome sunk further into the water; only her eyes remained above water. She always did this when she wanted to think. She didn't know why but it relaxed her and her mind escaped everything else.

They had to find an easier way to hunt Naraku. He always seemed one step ahead of them, like he was watching them. She didn't put that thought past her. Every once in a while they came across Kagura or Kohaku, and other times those poisonous insects would appear, but Inuyasha would always kill those before they could return.

Kagome was so caught up in her thoughts that she missed the sound of the brush moving and twigs snapping under heavy footsteps. Sango didn't miss it and instantly reached for a towel. "Who's there?" she shouted. Kagome looked in the direction her friend was staring, seeing nothing in particular. Another snap. "Miroku, I swear if that's you I'm gonna…"

As she said this, a figure stepped out of the brush. It wasn't Miroku. "Oh my god." Kagome whispered as she too grabbed a towel and stepped out of the water. Sango was already getting dressed and going over to the newcomer. They needed some help, so Kagome yelled for Inuyasha.

The shout came to his ears as if she was right there next to him. Her heavenly voice panicked as she shouted for him. Inuyasha's silver ears twitched on his head taking in any more sounds from her direction. Without any warning he leapt out of sight, leaving Miroku and Shippo staring, confused. Miroku was the first to talk, shouting "Inuyasha you horn dog!"

They were crouching over something. Actually someone. He didn't recognize the newcomer's scent, but it had something vaguely familiar about it. From what he could sense the figure was human, and as he got closer he could see bloodied arrows on the ground- four of them. Had they all been in this stranger?

Kagome leaned over the unconscious girl, applying pressure to the open wounds. Some had already been roughly wrapped up with the cloth of their towels and the bleeding had stopped in most of them. But one was deeper than the others and still bleeding profusely.

"What happened to her?" Inuyasha asked, startling both girls.

Kagome looked up at him with panic in her storm colored eyes. "We don't know, she walked out of the bushes like this and fainted. She needs a lot of medical attention."

"But we're still several hours away from Kaede's village. She needs the help now." Sango said more to herself.

The human girl looked no older than seventeen. Her plain white kimono was torn and bloodied, and the stains that were left behind created a strange pattern. The crimson blood turned black leaving the design of a dragon destroying a village. The flames that rose above the huts and castle remained red. In the center of it all stood a figure where the blood stopped and remained white. The small figure was surrounded by spikes and what looked like vines.

"We'll take her back to camp. Kagome do you have any supplies left from your own era?"

"Yes, but it won't-"

"It will have to do. Long travel is not an option for her condition right now, so until she regains consciousness she can't really go anywhere." Inuyasha lifted the frail human body in his arms.

Kagome looked at him in awe. You rarely saw this side of him. The side that actually cares for someone other than himself. His more human side. Most demons she had met over the time she had been in the feudal era had only worried about themselves and had hated all humans. Inuyasha had been that way too when she first met him, but the more she knew about him the more complicated he got.

"Well, are you coming Kagome?" He broke her thoughts. Inuyasha held the girl in his arms, cradling her to his chest. The girl's raven hair wasn't long and if it wasn't for her curvy figure she could have been mistaken for a boy. Her head was lolled back and her arms fell toward the ground. Kagome could see the girl's blood as it dripped down her arms and into a puddle on the ground.

"Yeah, I'm coming. Don't wait for me. I'll be right behind her." Kagome smiled and followed Sango back to their camp.

The sound of crickets surrounded her. Her mind drifted on the line of consciousness and unconsciousness until her thoughts bombarded her. The pain in her arms came to mind, then the pain in her stomach. She opened foggy gold eyes to look at her surroundings. Everyone around her seemed to be sleeping. There were two females, two males, and a child. The child and one of the males appeared to be demons.

She tried, unsuccessfully, to sit up, and ended up flopped back down on her back. Hot pain shot through her body and she had to bite back a scream. The crickets had fallen silent and the only noise in the night now was her heavy breathing as she tried to ignore the pain. She had to blink back tears, squeezing her eyes closed as tight as possible.

"If you hadn't have moved you wouldn't be in so much pain." A tried voice startled her. Looking over at the dog-eared demon, a pathetic attempt at a growl escaped her sore throat. "You got no right being angry at me! I'm the one who saved you."

"I would have been fine." She choked out.

"I could take you back to where Kagome found you?"

"Inuyasha? What are you yelling about?" Kagome broke in, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

"Nothing. That girl woke up."

Kagome shot up, suddenly wide-awake. She rushed over to the girl's side. "Are you okay? What happened to you? How did you get like this? What, or who, did this to you?"

"I'm fine. I was attacked. And do you honestly think I'm going to tell you?"

"Eh. You should be grateful. You would have been dead had Kagome and Sango been down at the spring."

"It's fine Inuyasha. She doesn't have to tell me anything she doesn't want to, though it would be nice to know. Did a demon do this?"

"Why would a demon use arrows?"

Kagome ignored the remark. "What's your name? Where'd you come from?"

"Name's Yuki, and I don't come from anywhere."

"What's with the freaky leather strap around your neck?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously. He'd something like it before.

Yuki looked down for the first time, her uninjured arm coming up to touch the leather surrounding her neck. "You're a dog, you should know what a collar looks like." She said starkly.

"Feh." Was all he had to say.

"Don't worry about him. I'm Kagome by the way. You should get some sleep and in the morning I'll introduce to everyone else before we head out. We're heading to the nearest village and there you can get proper medical help from a friend of ours. She's really good at what she does." Kagome realized she was babbling and shut up. "You should get some sleep."

Yuki watched as Kagome settled back into her sleeping bag. "Hey Kagome?" the chatty girl looked up. "Thanks… I guess."

"You're welcome."

"And ye say she just wandered into your camp?" Kaede asked directing Inuyasha into a small hut.

It had taken half the day to reach the village, and Yuki was still sleeping. She had woken several times to murmur about nothing and then slip back into unconsciousness. Kaede hadn't recognized the girl when Kagome had asked.

"Well she actually wandered near a hot spring that Sango and I were bathing in. I brought back the arrows that she had." Kagome held out the bloodied arrows for the old woman to examine.

"They've not been used by any demon I know of."

"We figured that out already you old hag. We just don't know who used them, she won't tell us."

"Inuyasha you don't have to be so rude." Kagome scolded him.

"I'm not being rude! I'm only telling the truth!"

"Yeah, but in that rude way."

"This how I always talk!"

"And it's rude!"

"Both of you hush." Kaede interrupted, "we don't want to disturb the girl's healing sleep."

"Sorry Kaede." Kagome apologized but Inuyasha just huffed and jumped off to his favorite tree.

Most of the pain was gone, and she felt numb. She felt warm and wrapped up so tight she couldn't move to the side. Her gold eyes opened to look up at a ceiling. "Ah, I see ye have awakened. Was your sleep well?"

Yuki completely ignored the question. "Where am I?"

"I told you that we were heading back to the nearest village." Kagome sat next to the elderly woman. "Yuki, this is Kaede, the priestess of this village."

"Hmm." Yuki pushed herself up into a sitting position, tested her arms and poked at the neatly sealed wound in her stomach, and then stood up to everyone in the room's amazement.

"Ye should really stay put until your wounds fully heal. Ye are in no condition to be going anywhere."

"Shut up- I'm fine." Yuki snapped and stumbled out the door.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Yuki looked up at the dog-eared demon that sat in a tree. "None of your business, half breed," she snapped back and continued walking. She got several more steps before Inuyasha jumped in front of her. "Leave me alone!"

"No. You're still injured, and because you stupidly decided to walk your wounds have reopened. I could smell the blood the minute you left that hut."

Yuki let out another growl at him and grabbed a handful of his hair. Pulling him close to her face she said, "Someone like you should mind his own business." And that said she pulled further, dragging the shocked hanyou to the ground and continued walking.

As she disappeared into the forest Kagome and the others ran up behind him. Inuyasha remained on the ground, his eyes locked on the spot where Yuki had been. She'd surprised him when she grabbed him; her strength was obviously above a normal human's, and the growl was inhuman as well.

What scared him was the look in her eyes. The gold irises had momentarily flashed a flame red.

"Are you alright Inuyasha? Where did she go?" Kagome asked.

"Off into the woods. She made it very clear she didn't want my help."

"Ye shouldn't have let her leave, Inuyasha. The girl might bleed to death." Kaede said.

"Let her." Inuyasha scoffed. "She obviously doesn't want any help. If she's lucky she'll die of blood loss before a demon finds her. We've got our own business to worry about."

Kagome continued to stare off into the seemingly empty forest. Yuki had lost a lot of blood, and yet she was still walking around as if nothing happened. The clean robe Kaede had put her in had already started to stain crimson. The smell of human blood would most definitely attract the creatures that lurked in the dark. Kagome sighed and followed her friends back to the village.

Again I don't own Inuyasha, but I did create Yuki…I had thought her up for another story, but she's gone through some changes.

Please review and tell me what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

She stumbled out of the forest weary and covered in blood. Her own wounds had stopped bleeding, and the blood she was soaked in wasn't hers. The large town in front of her was bustling; children played and the adults worked. Everyone was busy in their own way, but when she walked inside the castle walls they all stopped and stared.

"Excuse me Miss? Do you need any help?" someone bravely came up to her and asked.

She stopped in her tracks. Slowly turning to face the young woman who had offered help. "I need a bath." She stated simply. The woman nodded and turned to leave, but the stranger talked again, "and a change of clothes. These are no good."

"Yes of course. Please follow me." The woman said politely and led her to a bathhouse.

Naomi stoked the fire beneath the bathhouse. "Is this ok Miss Yuki?"

Yuki sunk into the warm water, sighing as it washed over her healing wounds. "Yes, that'll be fine." Naomi left her alone, and Yuki just soaked in everything that had happened. She had finally escaped from that awful place; the place she had been trapped in for the past years. Her entire life was gone because of that monster; her family murdered, her clan completely wiped out. Gone. Tears slipped down her still dirty cheeks as she thought about her family. She wasn't strong enough to save them.

Those people earlier… they had no idea what they were getting into. Trying to help her? She could only save herself, or else risk others getting killed by the same creature. That strange girl- Kagome. She was different, but still just human.

As she began washing away the blood and dirt voices chattered outside.

"And everything was dead! It was like they walked in a line and then were killed one by one."

"The trail started somewhere in the middle of the forest and ended just before the edge."

"That girl has something to do with it. I'm sure of it!"

"We don't know that for sure. It could have been another demon and that girl looks human enough to me."

"You know as well as anyone that demons can disguise themselves. She could be a demon come to destroy the village and steal anything valuable."

"All the valuable is with our Lord, and guarded well."

"That does not mean she won't find a way in. she cannot stay here."

"But I've already set a room for her to stay."

All their comments stopped when the girl they were talking about stepped out the bathhouse. The clothes Naomi had given her were too big and had to be tied in several places. "There is no need for the room. I won't bother your friends with my needs. Thank you for your hospitality, but I really must go."

"You do not have to, Miss Yuki. They speak nonsense." Naomi pleaded.

"I will be fine, but if would I will need a sword." At the glare from the others around her she added, "For my protection, of course. If you people think a demon is around killing others I must have something to protect me with."

They hadn't been convinced with her explanation, but she was given a broadsword and sheath, which was now tied around her waist. Naomi had gifted her with a horse. The beautiful black stallion had whinnied at her, but accepted her as his new owner. Naomi stood at the edge of the village waving hopelessly at her, but Yuki didn't look back.

Kicking the horse into a run and she galloped down the fields.

The city was gone, burned to the ground. Only a few had survived, and they kept huddled in small makeshift shacks. The once clean people of the town were now dirty and ill. Several had fevers and coughed like they would lose their lungs.

This was the scene as Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, and Miroku walked in side the broken city walls.

"Oh my God. What happened here?" Kagome asked in her shock.

"A demon came." Answered a meek voice hidden in the shadows. A young woman stepped out. "A horrible man looking for someone he had lost."

"Do you know the demon's name?" Inuyasha asked urgently, stepping up to the woman.

She looked up at him, glaring at the dog-ears atop his head. "I do not need to know the name to know he was a demon. And even if I did want to know, I did not have the luxury of asking for he was too busy trying to kill us all."

"Hi, I'm Kagome, and what Inuyasha meant was that he might be the demon we've been searching for. We're looking for the demon Naraku." Kagome pushed Inuyasha away from the obviously angry girl. "Maybe if you could describe him. It would great help."

"Naomi." She greeted shortly. "He dressed like a Lord. He had long black hair and piercing red eyes." She paused to shiver. "He said he was looking for a demon that had passed through here a few days back, but no demon has ever entered these walls. At least never before He came."

_Naraku! _"But someone did come through?" Kagome asked, keeping her thoughts to herself, knowing Inuyasha knew who the demon was as well.

"Yes. A strange girl with gold eyes. She looked ok, but she was covered in blood. I had to give her a new set of clothes. I think she overheard some of us talking about some demons found slaughtered in the forest and some of the men jumped to conclusions, so she left.

"She said she would be fine and had to leave. She asked for a sword and that was it. She said her name was Yuki."

"Yuki? She's still alive?" Kagome said almost excitedly.

"You know her?"

"We sealed her wounds the best we could but she didn't stay long enough to let them heal."

"She was fine when she stumbled here. Any wounds she had were gone, and I don't think the blood on her robes was hers. Maybe she did kill all those demons."

"Which way was she headed?"

Naomi pointed past the once green fields. "I think she was headed toward the Eastern lands, but I don't know exactly where she was going."

Kagome thanked Naomi and their group headed east. "We have to find her before Naraku does."

"He could have found her already, Kagome. It's best if we just continue looking for the shards of the Shikon Jewel." Inuyasha argued.

"But Inuyasha, if we find Yuki first, Naraku will still be looking for her. We can get him to come to us." Kagome countered.

"I agree with Kagome. She only has a- what- three day lead. She would have to stop somewhere eventually." Sango stood next to her best friend. "With your speed and Kilala we could catch up easily."

"Sango's right, and if we are planning on catching this girl we will have to start immediately." Miroku thought out loud.

"Miroku! Don't take her side! All of you are ganging up on me!"

"It's only right we help Yuki. Even she doesn't think she needs our help." Kagome pulled a sad look. She'd used it many times before on him and it was sure to change his mind.

He huffed once, smacked his forehead and sighed out something about giving in too easily.

The noodles were under cooked, the meat was over cooked, and the rice wine stale. These people, who had so graciously offered a place to stay, had no idea what they were doing when it came to cooking. She would have preferred hunting something on her own and cooking it herself, but she had been dragged into their lives.

She shouldn't have even been here. She only caused trouble and pain for people who got involved. This family would certainly die if He came here. She knew he was looking for her; gossip in the small village had gotten the better of them all and news of Lord Harashi's castles walls were burnt down. Yuki only vaguely thought about if Naomi or anyone else had survived his attack.

"Now you just make yourself at home." The woman of the house said kindly.

"I really shouldn't. I need to get back on the road."

"Nonsense." Her husband exclaimed. "Your horse is tired, and you look like you could drop at any second. You will stay here and rest. In the morning you can be on your way."

"Yes. A young woman rode through here just yesterday on a beautiful black horse, but she did not stop. Poor thing looked as tired."

"Thank you. You've been a lot of help." Kagome ran back to her friends. "We're catching up. She was here yesterday."

"Well then let's go! Naraku can't be too far ahead if he is following her trail." Sango said almost excitedly, hopping back on Kilala, her and Miroku launched into the air, with Inuyasha and Kagome following on the ground.

Yuki yawned and stretched. She quickly changed and attempted to sneak out of the house without waking the friendly family. "Where are you headed this early?" she was unsuccessful.

"I must be going. I have somewhere important I need to be." She lied. Really she had nowhere to go. Her only home was destroyed and she refused to go back to that prison. No one even knew she was alive.

"It's not even dawn yet, Deary. You should really get more sleep."

"I can go weeks with the sleep you've provided me with."

"Well at least let me prepare you a meal before you leave. Go saddle up and I'll bring it out to you."

Yuki yawned again, tightening the synch of her saddle. She was still exhausted. She had plain out lied to the woman, but she didn't feel bad for that. She shouldn't have stayed at all! She should have declined their offer and left before her stupid emotion got in her way. Now these people were in danger of getting killed like the last place.

She attempted at putting the bridle on the horse she had oddly named Copper. It would fit only because her own name meant lucky, and all she caused was bad luck. But Copper was startled by a loud crash and a bright flash. The explosion wasn't that far away and she knew what it meant.

Pulling the barn door open she saw him. Standing only feet in front of her; that annoying smirk she had seen everyday smeared across his face. A fire blazed behind him, eating away the houses as the people tried to put it out. The couple that had happily offered her a room stood shocked and afraid, staring at the demon threatening their small village.

"You made the mistake of stopping. Now you have doomed this village and you will be returned to your cell." He said menacingly. "I will have to make their death's special though, now won't I?" he mocked, acknowledging the couple on their porch.

"You leave them out of this! They've done nothing wrong!" Yuki growled back.

"Ah, but they have. They have stupidly offered a criminal a place of hiding and that's considered harboring."

"Like you care if someone brakes a law." In a quick movement she had removed her sword from its sheath and charged him. "You're just a filthy half demon, you've broken demon law by being born!"

Kagome and everyone else woke with a start. Camping hadn't been their first choice since they were close to a village, but everyone- including Inuyasha- was exhausted from traveling. Dawn was close when the explosion hit. The loud bang hurt everyone's ears (Inuyasha the most because of his exceptional hearing).

"Inuyasha did you hear that?" It was a stupid question to ask, she knew it, but it just came as a reaction.

"Of course I heard it! Come on."

When they reached the town everything was in panic. People were trying to put out the fires, but weren't doing so well and had begun to scream and just run. Sango and Miroku began calming them down and help them to put out the fires, while Inuyasha and Kagome went further on.

Inuyasha could smell him. Naraku was here, which meant Yuki was probably here as well. _'We're probably too late.'_ He thought, but kept running; Kagome following closely behind. The sight before them shocked them.

Yuki was fighting Naraku. Neither was losing or winning, but Inuyasha could tell Naraku wasn't even trying. It was like a cat and a mouse, and the cat was just playing with its dinner before it killed it.

Yuki made swing after swing at him, but he just blocked everything she threw at him with a tentacle.

"You lost this battle before it had even started." Naraku laughed. "You've had that collar on for so long that even your demonic strength has betrayed you."

What was he talking about? Demonic strength? This girl… Yuki… she was human. They had been sure of that. Inuyasha hadn't sensed anything demonic about her. So why was Naraku going on about her being a demon?

"You wouldn't be able to control your power if I were to remove that collar." Naraku continued, "I could remove it now, and you'd beg for me to put it back on."

In that moment a tentacle wrapped around her sword and it was thrown away from her, striking the ground in front of the human couple. Another tentacle wrapped around her arm and pulled her inches from his face. The root-like arms coiled around her body and held her in place.

"I think that's a great idea. And look…" one tentacle twisted her head to face Inuyasha and Kagome, "The friends that are still alive are here to see you. See what they think of you as your true self emerges." He whispered the last part in her ear before his hand reached out, and released the leather strap holding her neck.

Naraku dropped Yuki to the ground. Her body wracked with pain and she doubled over. Naraku smiled down at her. "Good luck, Dearest Yuki. I'll be back for you…in time." A thick miasma surrounded him and he disappeared.

The couple shouted out to their new friend and ran to her quaking body. "Yuki? Yuki Dear? Oh please calm down." The older woman began to rub her back in a soothing action, but it did nothing. Yuki was in her own world of pain as everything the collar had restrain came forth at once.

Sango and Miroku quickly joined Inuyasha and Kagome after hearing screaming. Kagome started toward the fallen girl, not understanding what was going on with her, but Inuyasha stopped her short when suddenly a black flame ignited on Yuki. The elderly woman started to pat it out, but it wouldn't go away. The small flame soon grew and Yuki's entire body was consumed with it. The woman's husband had to pull her away.

"What's going on?" Kagome asked worried as she tried to behind Inuyasha. Her time being in the feudal era had shown her many strange things, but she could never remember ever seeing black flames just suddenly appearing.

Her body was hidden within the flames, and the screaming had stopped. In their place was a whimpering, almost like a dog's whimper. Inuyasha growled as he suddenly felt it- a surge of unknown demonic power. The others shivered violently as the air around them shifted. The still burning village went still and the flames rising above the houses seemed to be sucked into the black flames. The two flames cancelled each other out and a wave of heat washed over the people within the village boundaries.

The girl Yuki no longer was crouched over herself. When the smoke cleared and the flames fully doused down there stood an animal. A large twin-tailed fox stood, poised for an attack. The two tails were tipped a dark crimson and didn't really express with the black on the rest of the body. The only other marking was on the front left paw; flames danced up the leg, marking it like a tattoo.

"Yuki?" Kagome whispered, poking her head out from behind Inuyasha. The fox snarled, baring sharp fangs, and then its body went limp and it fell unconscious.

There's chapter two. So uhh… tell me whatcha think, blah blah blah all that junk.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello. I got one review but I guess it's better than none at the moment. There's also those people who read but don't review which is okay too because I do it sometimes. It would be nice to know what you guys think of my story.

Midoriko thanks for the review. I knew that I was spelling Kirara I just sorta like spelling it Kilala more. She'll only really be mentioned in battle scenes or little moments. I'll try to remember to change it.

Chapter 3

Distant voices were what woke her up. She didn't open her eyes, she didn't move; she just laid still and listened. She recognized Kagome's voice and the old priestess that had sealed her wounds. Inuyasha barked in his own comments and a few other voices she didn't quite recognize. There were more people outside the walls, waiting.

"You can't go back now!" Inuyasha's voice was the first coherent thing she heard because it was a yell.

"I have to!" Kagome countered. "I have a lot to make up at school, and I have to get more supplies."

"You just went back for supplies!"

"Well if you didn't eat everything I bring back in one sitting I wouldn't have to go back as often. Besides, it could be a while before we come back." Inuyasha huffed and turned away. "I'll only be gone for the day. I'll be back tomorrow evening."

"Yea and while your gone Naraku could disappear again and it'll be even harder to find him."

"Now Inuyasha." A calmer voice came into their fight. Yuki didn't recognize it, but she knew it was male. "Kagome and you saw Naraku, and you said yourself that he would be returning for our friend Yuki, here."

"So what's your point?"

"If we wait, and keep Yuki close by, Naraku will come to us."

Another voice came in; the other female of their group. "But she's already made it clear she doesn't want our help."

"Then we'll lock her up or something."

"Inuyasha! We can't do that! That's just cruel." Kagome sounded appalled.

"Well she ain't gonna stay on her own now is she?"

Kagome let out a frustrated sigh; she stood up and glared at Inuyasha. Walking out, she reached the door before saying, "Inuyasha, Sit!" as the dog demon hit the ground she exited the hut.

"You'd think you'd learn some manners, Inuyasha."

Night had fallen and everyone was asleep. After their fight that afternoon, Kagome had decided to go home tonight, and wouldn't return until the next evening. Yuki opened her gold eyes to look around the room. Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kaede were inside, asleep, but Inuyasha was nowhere in sight. She stretched sore muscles before standing up and walking out.

The night sky was beautiful tonight. The moon was full, and the stars shown even behind the limited clouds. She loved the night. Nighttime and early morning was the only time she got a break while working. He hadn't needed her to work, it was something else he was after, but he wouldn't let her rot in the cell she was put in every night.

"Where do you think you're going this time?"

Yuki looked up at Inuyasha. Without realizing it she had walked the same way she had the first time she left, and right passed Inuyasha. Yuki yawned up at him and continued walking.

"You know, this time I can't let you leave." He hopped down in front of her. "It's strange how a leather collar like this one could hide your demonic aura that not even I could sense it." Inuyasha held up the strap. Yuki growled at it and took a step back.

"Now if you were able to assume a human disguise with this on, you should have a more human looking form." He took a step forward and she stepped back again. "How come you're not in that form?"

'_Because it holds too much power, you idiot!'_

Her thoughts were shot directly into his mind. "So you do have a way of talking. Good questions will be a lot easier."

'_I don't have to answer any of your questions,' _the fox snarled. _'Now move out of my way, I have places to go.'_

Yuki moved to the left and Inuyasha copied. She moved right and he blocked her again. Her eyes narrowed and she faked right. Inuyasha moved as well, and was thrown off balance when she moved left. He quickly recovered, but Yuki simply jumped over him and started running.

"Hey, get back here!"

Not in your life, Mutt' 

She thought she was getting away when Inuyasha jumped her from behind. Wrapping an arm around her neck, he dragged her to the ground. She struggled for several minutes, snarling and trying to bite him. Her hind legs pushed at the earth but she couldn't escape. Eventually she wore herself out and slumped to the ground.

"There." Inuyasha breathed. "Now I have to get you back before people realize you're gone."

Yuki yanked at the chain around her neck. There was little she could do in her animal form- actually biting the bothersome metal was about it, but that didn't do anything but make her teeth hurt. When she pulled away from the tree she was tied to the chain tightened around her throat, but it only made her pull harder. Every once in a while the tree holding her would groan, but it wouldn't budge.

"Ye are just going to leave her there until Kagome gets back?" Kaede asked when she first found the fox tied to a tree.

"Yeh. You think I have a problem with it? Nope. She can just sit there and rot until Naraku comes and gets her." He answered back.

"You do know that Kagome will be angry if she comes back to see her like this." Miroku said from behind him, observing the fox yank and bite the chain in attempts to free itself.

"She'll just have to live with it. That bitch tried to run away and Kagome did say to keep her here."

"You've got an answer for everything this time, don't you?"

"Yep." A pause, Miroku smiled to himself and walked away. "Hey, what do you mean this time!"

The noon sun blazed above. The only shade was given off by the tree, which seemed to hate her cause even the shade was hot. No wind blew and no clouds swept over the sun. Yuki had given up pulling at her chain and settled for trying to calm down. It was just to hot, especially with her newly acquired fur coat. Now she was just dozing.

She was on the line of unconsciousness when the vibrations in the ground shifted. The distant footsteps of the villagers- who were doing their best to avoid her- were no longer distant. Opening one gold eye she saw they had left their work and formed a half circle around her. They were all talking amongst themselves and watching her. She twitched her ear to listen to the people behind her, but it caused them to go silent.

Yuki inwardly smiled. This could be fun. She twitched the other ear. Everyone froze. This is fun. Lifting her lip she growled, and everyone gasped and took a step back.

'_Cowards! I'm on a chain dumb asses.' _Another gasp spread around the group.

"It just spoke, did you hear it?" one man yelled and everyone agreed.

"It's hot enough. You should go back to your work and leave her alone." A soft feminine voice said.

Sango made her way through the breaking crowd, holding a bowl of water. "Thought you might be thirsty since Inuyasha is keeping you here."

When she set the bowl down the fox eagerly slurped it up. _'That's much better.'_

"So can you speak telepathically in your other form?"

'No. It's just an animal thing. Gotta be able to communicate. My sisters can talk to each other, but they've got wolf in them.'

"Wolves can talk telepathically?"

'Only one tribe has really mastered it. The tribes you're probably used to seeing are inferior to my sisters'.'

"Inferior how? You're all demons aren't you?"

'My sisters' tribe lives deep in a forest near the edge of a mountain I am forbidden from naming. They are free of human contact, unless they leave the territory. They have kept in touch with their wolf heritage and can change like me. The wolves that roam around these areas are either animals or inferior demons.'

"Wow. I didn't realize the demon world could be so complicated."

'Yea well, neither do most of the demons.'

Kagome climbed out of the well. The field surrounding her was empty. A silent breeze played at her hair, brushing it toward the village. The wind directed her to the village as she walked.

The small town was empty; everyone asleep in their houses dreaming about better things or how their life is already perfect. The only hut with a lantern still on was in Kaede's hut. No doubt the elderly lady was asleep and it was just her friends waiting for her return. A smile graced her lips as she headed in that direction.

But that smile slowly faded when she noticed the lone tree down the path. The black lump sleeping against the trunk could barely be seen, but she spotted it none-the-less. The silver of a chain gleamed in the moonlight. She huffed and stomped the rest of the way to the hut.

Inuyasha was, of course, not inside. Most likely sleeping in his favorite tree. Miroku and Shippo had fallen asleep, but Sango remained awake. Not wanting to wake anyone the demon exterminator just smiled and waved 'hello' as she stoked the fire a little. Kagome smiled back and sat next to her.

Keeping her voice at a whisper she asked, "Why is Yuki tied up outside?"

"Inuyasha put her there." Sango answered just as quietly.

"I kinda figured that, but why?"

"She tried to run off the other night. He said it was reason enough to keep her tied up. We didn't argue it, so she stayed there while you were gone." She shrugged, "She seemed fine after the day cooled down."

"Another blistering day?"

"Yep."

"It rained the whole time I was home."

Miroku yawned from his corner. "Oh, Kagome, you came back later than expected. You said this evening we were expecting you by dinner."

"I know, but it turned out my cousin had returned from America and stopped for a visit. Luckily my mom made an excuse for me and not Grandpa. She told him I was at a friend's house. He stayed for dinner and didn't leave until late."

"Well at least you got to visit with your cousin."

"Yea, I hadn't seen him in a while. He brought me back some clothes, but I don't think they're my style. I figured though that when Yuki is able to go into her demon form she'd need some clothes. If they fit her she could have them."

"That's very thoughtful of you Kagome." Miroku praised.

"Anyway, we should get some sleep. If Naraku is coming after Yuki, than we shouldn't stay here any longer."

"Right." Both Sango and Miroku said.

Yuki stretched and yawned, her claws digging into the ground. The smell of cooked fish filled her nose and looking around she found it. Just out of her reach sat the small demon boy holding two fish in one hand and eating another.

"We thought you might be hungry." He said swallowing a large bite. "I snagged two fish for you."

'I can see that. Are you going to bring them over here?' 

"Are you gonna try and bite my hand off. You were threatening the villagers yesterday."

'_I wasn't threatening them!' _The fox growled, standing up. _'They came over to bother me. I was just having some fun.'_

"By growling at them?"

'_You should have seen their faces.' _Shippo could swear he heard a snicker. _'If I was threatening them I would have actually moved from my spot. Now give me the fish.'_

"Inuyasha was right you are rude." Shippo said as he tossed the fish in her direction, which she caught easily in the air. As Yuki ate away the fish, Shippo continued talking. "So if you're a demon, then why couldn't Inuyasha or I tell until now?"

'That's none of your business.'

"Okay." The little fox demon looked thoughtful for a moment, "Is this your only form? Or can you be more like Inuyasha?"

'I have another form. I just can't go into it yet. It'll take a while.'

"Will you have to train or something? Inuyasha had to train so he could wield the Tetsaiga. But you wouldn't be training to use a sword though. Do you have a sword, or any special abilities?"

'You talk too much you know that, Kit?' 

"I'm sorry. I was just curious. You're a fox, but not like me. It's not often I get to talk with other fox demons. And my name is Shippo; I'm no kit!"

'You're just a baby, therefore you're a kit.'

"Come on Shippo, let's get going." Inuyasha shouted.

Kagome came running up to them. "We're gonna head out. Yuki are you able to change?" The fox blinked at her. "I'll take that as a 'no'. We can't stay here if Naraku is coming after you." At this Yuki growled. "Well if he is we can't lead him here, so we're going to continue looking for the jewel shards.

"We need you to stay with us, and not run off. Since we don't have a necklace for you like Inuyasha has we'll just have to hope you stay with us. Okay?"

The large animal stood up, towering over Kagome's kneeling form. She let out a snorting breath waiting for the priestess to remove the chain. Hesitantly Kagome reached to pull the chain over the fox's head, letting it drop to the ground. "You'll talk with everyone else, but you won't talk to me?" She asked when all the fox did was shake its body.

Shippo chimed in rather sullenly, "You wouldn't want her to talk to you anyway, Kagome. She mainly spits out insults."

"That's okay really." Kagome smiled. "Inuyasha speaks mostly insults too, so I'm used to it."

"Alright Kagome if you say so."


	4. Chapter 4

All the little markers that separate things won't show up, or haven't shown up, I did something I little different with this chapter, maybe they'll show up and you'll be able to tell when the scene changes. Enjoy

Chapter 4

"I'm bored." Shippo complained. That's all he had been doing for the past hour or so. The day had been long as they leisurely made their way across the land. They weren't heading anywhere in particular, their destination would reveal itself later, they just needed to get away from Kaede's village.

The sun had hid itself behind the mountains and the night sky now overlooked the world. The gang sat around the small fire, the smell of cooking meat lifting into the air. Everyone had been quiet, enjoying the peaceful night; that was until Shippo broke it with his complaining.

"I don't care if you're bored, runt. Now shut up." Inuyasha replied.

"You don't have to been so rude Inuyasha!"

"I wasn't being rude. I was telling the truth." The half demon justified himself. "I don't care."

"You shouldn't say things like that though, Inuyasha. He's just a kid." Miroku spoke calmly.

"That's right Inuyasha! OW! Kagome Inuyasha hit me!" Shippo whined.

"Inuyasha! Sit!"

As Inuyasha pulled himself from the ground, spitting out the dirt that had filled his mouth, all of them heard laughter. Their heads filled with it, and it pushed out any other thoughts. They glanced over at the supposedly sleeping fox. Her gold eyes glittered with mirth, and her long muzzle shook.

"And what are you laughing at?" Inuyasha growled.

'_You.' _Her voiced filled their heads, _'You're who want to destroy Naraku? You're all pathetic!'_

"Look who's talking. You can't even transform. You said yourself you can't control your power."

_'Mine powers will return in time. You, half-breed, are hopeless. I had more power than you when I was five.'_

"And now you're stuck as a fox." Sango reasoned. "Without any weapons or demonic abilities."

'_As I said, my powers will return soon enough. They're already coming around.'_ Yuki stood and stretched, walking over to a nearby tree. Inuyasha growled, thinking she would try to run, but Yuki just glared back at him. _'Relax, mutt, I'm demonstrating.'_

With that the black fox lifted its marked paw to the tree. Staring intently at her paw, flames sparked in her gold eyes, and a thin line of smoke emerged from under her paw. After several seconds she took her paw away and a paw-shaped scorch mark was in its place. Yuki looked as smug as she could in her animal form, and glanced back at the group. _'See?'_

Naraku looked away from Kanna's mirror, a small smile on his face. Her powers were returning and soon they would be his. The energy locked up inside the young fox demon was more than anyone could imagine; something he had been looking for years. Searching for all the elements when they didn't know what they were.

The four elementals were born into four demons every thousand years, and only by chance does someone find one. Their abilities match those of their element but never match their family powers. Yuki was no exception; born into a family of earth manipulating foxes.

Now all he had to do was recapture her. Her escape was a mistake by Kagura; trusting a fox, even if they're trapped in a human body, was dangerous. Fox demons were cagey creatures from the start, and Yuki had outsmarted the wind witch. The small castle he had been manipulating into thinking he was their lord had, without much persuasion, gone after her, but she had managed to escape anyway. Hunting her down was easy with the collar she had been wearing, and now that she was with Inuyasha and his little group she would be even easier to follow.

He laughed, the deep sound filling the room; the castle. Soon all her power, the power of an elemental, would be his.

"Very interesting." Miroku said, examining the four-toed paw mark. "I thought a fox couldn't do such a thing."

"My fox fire can't even do that!"

"So you can control fire." Inuyasha scoffed. "So what? You're still just a demon, and lots of demons can control different elements."

_'I can't control fire, you imbecile! Fire can't be controlled, just created and directed into a wide perimeter.'_

"Isn't that the same as control?" Kagome asked shoving her elbow into Inuyasha's gut to keep his own comment quiet.

_'Of course it isn't. Once a conjured flame is released it has a mind of its own.'_

"So you create fire, but you can't control it? Isn't that dangerous for you?" Sango questioned.

_'You have to think of fire as animal. Fire is living and I'm one the demons that bring it to life. Call it a friend and I can make do certain things I want it to do, but I can never control it.'_

"All right then." Inuyasha stood up from his spot, and pointed to the fire, "Demonstrate to us the mind of a fire."

The fox growled, turning away from the fire. Incoherent grumbling was heard in their heads. For a moment they thought she was just ignoring them, but the glow of the fire brightened and the heat it made intensified but the flame never grew. They all stepped away to escape the wave that seemed to pass through them, and making their bodies feel like they were on fire. They heard Yuki sigh loudly, and all the heat disappeared; the fire went cold.

Miroku was the first to move, reaching his hand out toward the cold flame.

'_Do not touch it.' _Yuki shouted into his mind. _'It's cold enough to burn the skin from your hand.'_

The monk instantly recoiled back before he touched the darkening flame.

Completely exhausted the fox slumped to the ground, and the heat of the fire returned to normal. "Wow." Kagome breathed, breaking the silence that had descended. "That was really cool. Do you believe her now Inuyasha?"

"Feh," was all he said as he leaped up the nearest tree branch.

"Don't mind Inuyasha. He's just being a grump. How long until your powers completely return and you can change back?"

_'It just depends. Hopefully soon.'_

Early morning fog rose to cloud the earth; hazing anyone's vision to only several feet in front of them. A small fire cleared the wet air, but was quickly dying. Four figures huddled close together to keep warm on the cool spring morning, a fifth spread out on a branch. Morning dew surrounded them all, covering the ground like a thin blanket except for one spot. The grass was flattened and it remained dry but nothing was in its spot.

A small creature emerged from its burrow, scenting the air and twitching its ears in all directions listening for any sounds. Sensing no immediate danger it moved further from the safety of its home, unaware of its stalker.

Camouflaged by the dark leaves, the predator crept forward careful not to alert its prey. Vicious gold eyes focused on the small mammal crawling slowly away from its safe haven and further into the angry world ahead of it. The floppy creature's nose twitched once more before it started chewing away at a leaf, its little teeth working fast. Its eyes moved to see if anything came into sight, but saw nothing but leaves and trees.

The lip of the long muzzle lifted, exposing sharp fangs of a hunter. A soft inaudible growl escaped its throat, and it crept ever closer. The predator stopped only feet away from its prey; its ears pinned back it prepared to leap, but something snapped off to the left of the two and the small animal froze. Its black eyes widened in its fear, and in a matter of seconds it took off. Growling in frustration the predator chased after it.

The small mammal twisted and turned in every direction, fully aware of the larger animal following it. The hunter kept in a straight line, limiting its movements and saving energy and anticipating its prey's own movements.

Suddenly the smaller animal lost its footing, too panicked to notice the small root hidden beneath the leaves. Its feet struggled to get it back up before it got caught, but it wasn't quick enough. The predator saw it trip and the adrenaline racing through its blood intensified as it went in for the kill. With the struggling creature in its jaws, kicking up dirt and leaves, the predator bit down and waited to hear the snap of its neck. Satisfied, the hunter started back.

"Great, I knew we couldn't trust her. She took off!" Inuyasha yelled at no one in particular.

"Relax Inuyasha." Sango yawned having been woken up by the half demon. "You didn't want her to come along in the first place its no big deal. At least she's not anywhere near Kaede's village."

"Besides, she is a demon after all, I'm sure she can take of herself." Miroku added.

"That's not the point! Naraku is supposedly following her and if she's with us then that bastard will have to come to us."

"Well if you're so worried Inuyasha, go look for her." Kagome said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"I'm not worried."

"You sure sound worried to me." Shippo smiled impishly.

"Well I'm not!" Inuyasha huffed. "I'm going to go find her before she has a chance to get any further. Who knows how long she's been gone!" before he was even finished he had already taken off, trying to follow Yuki's scent.

Inuyasha was gone for only a little bit when the missing fox herself skipped out of the forest, a smug look in her eyes and a dead rabbit in her teeth. If she could she would have smiled. Noticing the looks they were giving her, like she had just killed some leader or something, she put down the rabbit. _'What?'_

"Where have you been? Inuyasha woke up and said you were gone."

_'I was gone. I went to catch breakfast. Only one day and I've already eaten too many fish.'_

"Inuyasha went to go look for you." Shippo said. "He's really upset."

"You had the chance. Why didn't you run away?" Sango asked cautiously.

For a moment the fox looked deep in thought, glancing around at nothing in particular, before it gaze landed back on the group. In an instant, Yuki wanted to smack herself, but settled for flopping to the ground and burying her nose in her front paws.

_'Oh, God damn it!'_

"It never crossed your mind did it?" Miroku asked with chuckle.

'_No.' _Yuki answered pathetically.

Just then Inuyasha returned. "I don't understand it. The scent trail just comes…" he spotted the fox. "How long has she been here?"

"Just a couple minutes. She went out to catch breakfast." Kagome said cheerfully. Patting Inuyasha on the back she added, "Running away never crossed her mind."

'_You don't have to rub it in!'_ the fox whimpered.

"Do you sense any jewel shards, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked as they strolled into the small village.

"Nope."

"And I don't sense any evil presences. Nothing. It's like demons have never been here."

'_If you had just asked I could have told whether or not Naraku had been here.'_ Yuki blurted out annoyed.

"We didn't ask you, now did we! We can find Naraku ourselves." Inuyasha snorted.

'Yeah, that's why I'm here right? So you can find Naraku?' 

"Just shut up. We were doing fine hunting him down before you came in, and we'll be fine without you intervening."

"Sure you will.'

"Hello."

They all glanced down at the little girl, not much older than ten, standing in front of them. She looked over the group, her eyes landing on Yuki; she smiled. "Can I pet her?" She asked out of the blue.

Before she got an answer she was already heading over to the oversized fox, and placing her small hand on top of Yuki's head. Not knowing exactly what she would do, the others started to protest, but stopped when all Yuki did was lean into the touch. "What's her name?" the little girl asked.

"Yuki."

"Well hello Yuki. I'm Suki. It's really close to your name." Suki laughed at herself.

"Suki! Suki!" The young mother of said child came running up to them. "What did I tell you? Leave travelers alone. I'm so sorry she bothered you."

"It's no big deal really." Kagome smiled as Suki's mother pulled her away.

"No, no. She's just a bit out going. It's my fault really. I'm sorry."

"That's quite alright."

"Well, again I'm sorry. Have a nice day."

Before the woman got too far, Kagome spoke up again. "Um, excuse me, could you tell me if there's like an inn or somewhere we could stay for the night?"

"It's not even dark yet and you're asking for a place to sleep?" Inuyasha asked shocked. He knew he shouldn't have been, she'd done this before. "We could cover a lot of ground if we didn't stop."

"But then we'd have to sleep on the ground again. My back has already taken too much. We're staying and that's final, we'll start again tomorrow."

Knowing he had lost this battle before it had even started, he crossed his arms and said grumpily, "Fine, but we're leaving at dawn," just to have some say in it. Kagome smiled up at him, and his bad mood simply disappeared; she could always do that to him, make him forget why he was mad in the first place.

Shino, Suki's mother, had offered them two conjoining rooms. Sango, Kagome and Shippo would take one room and Inuyasha and Miroku would take the next one over. Yuki had declined when Kagome said she should stay in their room and decided to stay outside. At the moment though they all sat outside, eating the dinner Shino had prepared, watching as the sun set.

"This place is beautiful." Kagome commented, breaking the peaceful silence.

"You say that about every place we stop. It all looks the same to me." Inuyasha said through a mouthful of food.

"But you've been for all your life. Technically I'm only here," she paused to think a moment, "on vacation."

"You're here more than you are back home, so you should be saying you're 'on vacation' when you return to your own time."

"Eat you're food Inuyasha." Kagome said while roughly shoving a dumpling in his mouth.

_'Those two act like children.'_

"We know. Sango and Miroku say it all the time, but really they're no better."

Shippo and Yuki sat next to each other, both on the ground in front of the others. Kilala (or Kirara which ever you prefer) sat on one side of the larger fox, and Shippo sat on the other side. They sat quietly as Inuyasha continued to fight with Kagome.

_'They aren't even fighting over anything.'_

Kilala (Kirara) mewed and Shippo nodded. "We know. And Inuyasha always gets-"

"Inuyasha, SIT!"

"-punished for it. You'd think he'd learn."

_'You know for a kit you act pretty mature. Why are you traveling with these idiots anyway?'_

"My mother and father were killed. Kagome is like a mother to me."

_'Kits should stick with their own kind.'_

With that said, Yuki stood up, not bothering to stretch like she always did, and walked away from the group. Inuyasha and Kagome's fighting had quieted since Kagome had commanded Inuyasha to sit, but she wanted to be alone.

Tbc.

Idiscovered the edit/preview button. I've been blind this entire time! This should make things a little easier.

" " people talking ' ' Yuki talking (also her words should be italic)

Thanks for reading and don't forget to review


	5. Chapter 5

All right. I couldn't get the breaks to show up last chapter. And hear I thought I fixed the problem. I'll keep trying and anyone who knows how please tell me. I think i got it this time...

Chapter 5

_Small huts and caves lay hidden deep in the Northern forests; only a select few knowing of the clan that lived there. No human had had ever stepped foot into the small grove manipulated by the demon occupants._

_Young children ran around in the early winter morning, playing tag in the open field with the few kits whom had already learned to transform, all of them varying in colors from gold to deep violet. They grow tired of their game as the warm weather changes cold and dark clouds cover the sky. The run off squealing with the first drop of rain, and make it back to their homes in time to escape the oncoming downpour. For the longest time they just watch the rain fall from the skies and drop from the tree leaves, blanketing the hard Earth and forming cold mud._

_As the rain beat down, pounding onto the roofs of the huts, a silence and appreciation is welcomed by the foxes of the area. A small kit, no older than ten, steps from her homes and into the rain, letting the water wash over her and weigh down the fuzz of her snow-white hair. Her oversized ears flopped down and her bushy white tail twitches constantly to rid itself of water. Looking up at the sky she watches the large drops as they hits her face. Raising her left hand above her head, her sleeved shirt falling to reveal a small flamed mark, she smiles._

_At a distance, the others see her do this; watch as the rain, continuously falling around them, disappears before it hits the young demon. It doesn't bounce away to hit the ground elsewhere, it just disappeared. Soon waves of heat emanate from her hand and her once wet body dries quickly. Her ears still flopped, but her doused tail expanded to look even bigger. Completely dry now, she continues to walk around the small village, her hand still in the air, the smile still on her face, the wet ground instantly drying as it enters her circle, her bare feet never getting wet._

_From a hut behind her someone calls her name and she turns to the voice. Seeing the angry look on her mothers face, she drops her hand and the rain once again douses her. She tried to look as pitiful as she could, the rain helping for her affect, but the older fox demon wasn't falling for it. She pointed inside the hut and told her only child to get inside. Running slowly back to her own home she caught the faces of the other kits._

_Purposely she jumped into the puddles that were in her way, and when she reached her mother, mud was splattered on her face and covered her lower body. The little kit smiles and all her mother can do is shake her head._

_The day went on and rain refused to let up. Grumpy and with nothing to do, the same little girl sat lazily at her window and watched the raindrops race down the glass. Her focus quickly changed to a disturbance in the outside air. The scent of power filled her lungs, and she found herself crawling away from the window moments before it shattered._

_The others seemed to notice as well and the older, trained fighters came to greet the newcomer that had found their veiled village. The wind settled and two figures walked further into the fox demon territory. A young man and a woman. The woman dressed in a pink and white kimono, holding a small fan at her side. The man looked human enough except for his gleaming red eyes and the stench of stolen power that came off him in waves. A smirk flashes across his face and he speaks, his voice hypnotic and calm, but harsh and wild at the same time. He spoke to them as if they were inferior and shouldn't have been granted to walk this Earth. He told them of the Gods watching the Elements. He told them of the one amongst them._

_Without another word he walked forward to the little hut hiding the little kit. The foxes snarled out a warning but it went unheeded. With a simple command to the woman next to him she flipped open her fan._

_The attack was swift taking out several of them before they knew what happened. As some continued to attack other scattered to their young and tried to escape only to be hit with blades of wind or struck down by small but vicious tornadoes._

_The village was in ruins now, nothing but mud and wood and fire. The little kit hung limply in the arms of the man. Her family, friends, kin all dead. With nothing else to say but how pathetic he thought the fox demons were they left. The fire building further to destroy what was left of the lush forest and only to leave in barren.

* * *

_

Yuki woke with a start. The horrible thoughts still lingering in her mind. she hadn't thought of her family since that first night in Naraku's castle where he had told her what had happened. Of course he had told her a lie and her dreams had said otherwise. She never told him she knew; she was too afraid at the time of what he would do.

For the longest time he kept her locked up and the only person she saw was the woman from before, Kagura. She hated her. The wind witch kept conversation to a minimal, and as young as she had been she needed the words, any words, to comfort her.

"Yuki? Are you all right?" Kagome broke through her thoughts.

_'I'm fine. Did I wake you?'_

"No. I was awake and I heard something. Thought I'd check on you."

_'Like I said, I'm fine. Go back to sleep or something.'_

"Okay. Well goodnight." Kagome turned to go back inside.

_'Wait, Kagome?'_

"Yeah?"

_'Would you or any of the others mind if we go somewhere I choose? Just for a while?'_

"I'm sure Inuyasha would throw a fit, but I can convince him otherwise. We can go tomorrow, if you'd like."

_'That'd be great. Tomorrow then?'_

"Tomorrow."

* * *

"What is this place? There's no one here." 

"From the looks of it, no one has been here for years."

"Kinda creeping me out. Everything's all burnt and dead."

"This wasn't done recently. The trees or something should have grown back."

The five friends walked around the ruins of an old village. Soot and ash covered the ground and a lingering smell of burned flesh rose in the air. The stench made all of them want to gag, especially Inuyasha with his heightened senses. They all spoke their opinions except Shippo who remained quiet.

Yuki walked out in front of them, her nose to the ground as she searched for something. She wasn't sure herself what she was looking for, but her dream had shown her something she hadn't thought about in years and that could only mean one thing: something was here for her to find, something to help against Naraku.

"Yuki?" Kagome, yet again, broke her concentration and she looked up at the strange girl. "Are you sure this is where you wanted to go?"

_'Positive.'_

"Oh, okay." A pause before, "What is this place exactly?"

_'My home.'_

"Well why weren't you living here then? And what happened to this place. Not much of a home if it reeks of death." Inuyasha snorted.

In a flash he hit the ground, a snarling fox holding him down. He struggled uselessly to get her off, but she didn't budge. Only in his mind did she send the threat.

_'My clan was massacred by the devil himself! They kept this place alive, they fought to keep it a secret, and now that they're dead I won't have you ruining their memory with your snide comments. Got it?'_

When Inuyasha didn't reply the fox barked, and snapped at him. Yuki continued to growl for a moment longer before she went back to her search, ignoring the shocked looks the others were giving her. Inuyasha remained on the ground, not really scared by the threat but chilled to the bone. When he did get up he remained silent, not answering the questions they asked him.

* * *

"Are you done yet?" Inuyasha shouted from his sitting position. 

The day had been wasted away while Yuki looked for who-knows-what and not finding anything. Inuyasha was bored, Kagome and Shippo were asleep and Miroku was bothering Sango. The black fox worked diligently, burying her nose in small piles of dirt and digging away the ground where she thought it necessary, but still not finding anything.

The late afternoon sun was hiding behind clouds, but showed no sign of rain.

"If I knew what you were looking for I could have helped you, and we could've left already. But from the looks of it you don't even know what you're looking for."

_'In that you would be right.'_

"What!" Inuyasha shouted waking up Kagome. "You mean you don't even know what you're looking for?"

The fox looked thoughtful for a moment before she replied, _'Yes.'_

"This is ridiculous. Come on Kagome, we're leaving. Naraku can have her."

"We can't leave her here. Naraku could kill her! Do you want that on your hands?"

"Don't you pull that crap with me, Kagome. We're leaving."

_'Found it!'_

Yuki came out from under a pile of wood dragging something shiny. The glint of silver caught everyone's eye, and they went to meet the fox halfway. In her mouth was the hilt of a sword. The long blade curved just slightly at the end, six rings cut into the silver near the hilt, and a chunk seemed to be cut out of the blade, leaving a block-like space at the end.

"Where'd that come from?" Inuyasha said picking up the sword to get a better look.

_'It was my father's.'_

"And how exactly did it survive whatever happened here and the years it was here?"

_'See the runes on the blade? They're a kind of protection and boost.'_

Miroku ran his hand up the blade and examined the runes closer. Lost in their thoughts they missed the trees start to move and the sky to darken. A deep threatening voice resounded around them, making them all jump.

"Who dares enter my claimed domain? How is it that you have found this place?"

* * *

They were there. Strangers invading in her space. She had been gone for only the day and already it seemed that someone had moved in. they didn't look like they were camping out but there was still time for that to change. She had to stop it from happening. 

Summoning as much power as she could at the moment she called forth the winds, bringing in the clouds and brushing through the trees. They didn't seem to notice her attempts and she growled at their blindness. From deep in her throat she spoke as threatening as possible. They all jumped visibly and she smiled.

"This place has been hidden from the view of the outside world since the dawn of time. How is it that three humans, a child and a half demon have found it?"

Glancing at each of them, they looked around for her, but she had yet to reveal her position. At last her gaze fell on the last creature with them. Something familiar stood out on the large beast; something in the eyes that were staring directly at her.

* * *

Out of the dark of the forest cover came a child. Her long golden hair bunched up in a bun and her glassy white eyes stared unseeing at Yuki. Inuyasha growled at her, but she ignored him. 

"I know you…" Realization flashed in her eyes. "Yuki?"

_'Ciri. Putting on a show? I think you've lost your touch.'_

"Who the hell are you?"

_'Ciri, meet Inuyasha. Short tempered and not too bright.'_

Inuyasha growled at her comment, but did nothing else but mumble.

_'You should be careful Inuyasha. Ciri is a witch, and probably older than you.'_

"What brings you back home, Yuki? No one, except me of course, has lived here in years."

_'Adopted it as your own? And you didn't clean it up at all?'_

"If I wanted to I would have, but this place has history that will not be erased by hand. Now answer my question: why have you come back?"

_'Searching for something. My fathers sword is what I found.'_ Yuki nodded over at the blade that lay on the ground in front of Inuyasha. _'Now if I had hands I could use it properly.'_

"Stuck in your animal form, are you Yuki?" Ciri clucked her tongue at the fox and wagged her finger at her. "Poor poor Yuki. Lost her ability to change back."

_'I'm stuck because of an imbalance of power. It's evening out as we speak.'_

But Ciri wasn't listening and continued her rant. "When you were a child you constantly transformed, and now you're trapped. This is a lesson, you know? You took your power for granted and now you're stuck."

_'If I hadn't worn the collar Naraku had put on me then this wouldn't have happened.'_

"I told you myself something like this was gonna happen. And now that you're all grown up, it has happened! Ha."

_'Are you gonna help me or not?'_

"Yeah, sure. There should be some spell I know that help with that balance problem."

* * *

_'You're sure this is supposed to work, Ciri?'_

"No, but it does have something do with balancing things out, and this could the perfect chance to try it out."

_'You're telling me you've never done this spell? And you're willing to try it on me?'_

"Umm, yeah that's exactly what I'm saying." Ciri smiled cheekily. "Now hold perfectly still. If you move it might screw something up and you'll grow and arm or something."

At that, Yuki panicked and tried to move out of the circle drawn in the sand. "I was kidding!" Ciri waved her hand in a swift movement toward the ground. "Sit down and hold still."

Yuki felt as if she'd been chained to the ground and no longer had control of her own body. _'I swear if something does go wrong I'll kill you!'_

"You wouldn't hurt you friends would you?"

_'Yes.'_

"Well if you plan on killin' me for making a mistake, then I won't call it a mistake."

_'Just do the spell and get it over with.'_

Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo stood off to the side watching the two argue. They all watched as Ciri stood in front of the fox, her blind eyes darkening as she started to recite her spell. Sparks exploded around the two of them, the electricity in the air making itself known. Kagome squeaked as one exploded near her and taking her by surprise, causing her to jump toward Inuyasha.

The ground shook lightly and a wave blew past the group, pushing dust toward them and up into the air. Coughing, they realized Ciri's hypnotic voice no longer rattled into their minds and the black fox was nowhere to be seen.

Tbc.


End file.
